Oftentimes, when a clip of a driver goes viral, it's to indicate the tragic consequences of road rage or irresponsible behavior, which is why this short viral video of a kid thanking a truck for overtaking her in a safe way is doing a lot to restore our faith in humanity.
Captured by a dashcam on his handlebars, the clip shows four-year-old Rhoda Jones riding her bicycle through her hometown of Northamptonshire, in England. Even though she's just a kid, she's exhibiting a much better understanding of the rules of cycling, diligently wearing her helmet and being attentive to her surroundings.
She's also clearly got great manners, because when a truck overtakes her by passing onto another lane to give her plenty of room, she thanks the truck by giving it a cheerful thumbs-up. The clip was shared by Rhoda's parents, who run a blog called Family ByCycle, where they share the cycling adventures that they have with their three children.
"So often we see or share videos of awful driving around cyclists, so this textbook pass from an exceptionally patient & careful HGV driver for D&W Agri coming into Jedburgh deserves sharing, as does Rhoda's response! They're not on Twitter but we've thanked the haulier directly," the family wrote on Twitter.
In three days, the clip has had over 8,000 retweets and nearly 31,000 likes.
In a blog post about the viral moment, Rhoda's mother, Katie Jones, shared why the clip "doesn't do justice to the patience shown" by the truck driver:
The lorry was sat behind not only Rhoda and Daddy but also Mummy and Ruth, and sheltered us as we laboured up a climb, crossed a bridge and negotiated the busy stretch back into town. The lorry followed at a decent distance from our back wheels to make it clear to us that he was willing to wait and give us the space to negotiate that stretch of road safely. In a world where everyone is in a hurry and those passing us are often closer than they need to be, all four of us were grateful. It stood out.
She also shared the importance of teaching kids to cycle responsibly.
Cycling with our children teaches them good habits and makes exercise and the outdoors normal and enjoyable," she wrote. "Children are designed to move. They need to move to develop properly."
Not to mention, the importance of teaching them how to acknowledge others.
"We are raising our children to be thankful for kindness shown to them, and to show appreciation, so both Ruth and Rhoda gave a cheery wave and a thank you to the driver, so that he/she would know that we had noticed the care taken and that it meant something."
For tips on how to be such great parents, check out Here's Why Getting More Sleep Will Make You a Better Parent. And for more heartwarming viral content, check out This Incredible Story of a Dog That Adopted Nine Ducklings Will Melt Your Heart.
To discover more amazing secrets about living your best life, click here to sign up for our FREE daily newsletter!
